Bleeding Heart Ch. 03

"No!" Stella cried and sprung from the bed, grabbing her hastily discarded skirt and pulling it on, trying to ignore the slide of juices down her thigh, "Where is she?"

"Where?" Heart still looked dazed, but was shaking his head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs, "Lana..."

The pirate looked both healthy and ill at the same time. His skin was pale and his eyes appeared sunken, but the way he had moved with Stella indicated that not all strength had left the man's body yet.

"She tricked us," Stella spat, more angry at herself than anything, "Played us against each other."

"Not the worst way to do it," Heart shrugged as he got up and pulled on his pants.

"Now is not the time for jokes, Captain," Stella said as she rushed across the room, "We have to find Devin and warn him of..."

The ship pitched to the side and below them Stella could hear the angry cries of the crew in their quarters.

"Not again," Heart moaned and ran over to join Stella as they burst out into the hallway and up the stairs to the top deck.

Unsurprisingly the only person outside was Lana, who had finally gotten dressed in her black dress. She had summoned Leviathan once again -- it had not gone far after Heart sent it away. This time, ten tentacles danced angrily in the moonlight as Lana spoke up to them, giving the creature her demented commands.

"Can you stop it this time?" Stella asked Heart, with little hope.

The captain concentrated for a moment and then shook his head, "Lana won't let me near the power, and I am starting to seriously regret this marriage..."

The door to below deck burst open behind them and Devin came rushing up with Marcus at his heels.

"Are you ok?" Devin asked, coming immediately to Stella's side.

For some reason this gesture caused a rush of warmth to flood Stella's chest as she nodded, "I'm fine. But Heart says he can't control Leviathan anymore. Please tell me you have a way to undo that ritual, mage. If Heart stays bonded with that power for much longer, I don't think he'll survive."

If Stella had had time to do her own homework on the 'marriage' between Heart and Lana, she would have been able to reverse it herself. But as it was, only Marcus had the power to undo what he had done. Stella simply hoped that the mage was a competent one.

"I need both rings," Marcus explained, "But I don't think Lana will allow us to take hers."

"I think you're right," a taunting voice said from behind the group.

They all turned and Stella's heart skipped a beat as they came face to face with Lana herself, who had somehow made her way across the deck without being seen or heard.

"I honestly hoped you'd last longer than that," she said to Heart, referring to how she had left him and Stella before, "Some husband you turned out to be."

"Devin, the crew...," Heart implored, ignoring Lana's teasing, more concerned for his men.

"I told them to stay below deck," Devin replied, never taking his eyes off Lana.

"It won't do them any good," Lana shrugged with a nasty grin, "I've had enough of the Bleeding Heart. First you kidnap me, then you rape me - and now you want to take away my power? I don't think so. I'm going to make Leviathan destroy this cursed ship and drag it down to the depths of the ocean where you can all spend eternity."

Stella gazed upward and found that all ten tentacles of Leviathan had surrounded the ship. One word from Lana and they would come crashing down on all sides, tearing the Bleeding Heart to pieces before making it sink with the combined weight of the giant limbs on her deck.

But how did you stop the power of a goddess? Lana had total control of her power now. Even if Stella had use of her own there was nothing she could...

"Heart," she hissed, a desperate idea blooming in her mind, "Quick -- where is my collar from? The one blocking my magic?"

"What...I...the holy sisters," Heart replied with a deep frown, "They use ones like it to contain witches they capture, but I don't see how..."

"Take it off me," Stella said, "Hurry."

Marcus was saying something to Lana, thankfully distracting her for the precious few seconds it took for Heart to slip the silver collar off Stella's neck. The sudden flood of power back into her body was like a powerful aphrodisiac, and she moaned as she felt her connection to the goddess return.

Snatching the collar from Heart's confused grasp, Stella walked toward Lana with her fist clenched behind her back. "My princess," she said, bowing her head and feigning reverence, "Please, I ask that you free me from these monsters so that I may serve you and my goddess. Remember -- they took me from my ship and humiliated me, too."

"If I recall," Lana said with a frown, "You were conspiring against me with these 'monsters' in the captain's chamber. Speaking as if I wasn't in the room, thinking that you could control me like the whimpering virgin you had as passenger on your ship and not the daughter of a goddess you now grovel before."

"That was when I still believed the mad pirate had control over you," Stella said, thinking of a way to gain Lana's trust, "I did not want to be silenced by him before you had reached your full power. But now that I see that you have, I wish only to take my place at your side."

"Witch!" Heart hissed angrily, "You're nothing but a whore. Remember whom it was that you writhed so wantonly against this night. Of course you would stand with us only to betray us at your first opportunity...I should have killed you along with your crew."

Part of Stella hoped that Heart did not mean the things he was saying, but a larger part was grateful that he had. Lana's cocked on eyebrow and then smiled at the captain.

"Come, Stella," Lana said, holding out her hand, "Let us show these mortals the true power of my mother."

Stella nodded once and came to stand beside Lana, carefully positioning herself a step back from her. She stared at the men before her and a rush of conflicting emotions surged through her mind.

Captain Heart had chased her across the East Ocean relentlessly, destroyed her ship, killed her crew, kidnapped her, raped her, and handed her off to his first officer, the only man on the Bleeding Heart who had shown her any real kindness. Stella's rational mind screamed at her that Seth Heart was the last person in the world who deserved saving. He was a monster who destroyed her entire life in one day. Why was she only feigning loyalty to Lana? At the princess's side, she could enact her revenge on the crew of this awful ship and walk away unhurt and more powerful than ever.

But at what cost to the earth?

If Lana were allowed to walk away from this, there would be no telling what kind of destruction she would bring with her. Leviathan was not the only unholy servant of the moon. There was evil spread out all over the land and seas, ready to kill thousands at Lana's command. And she would command -- her first experience with mortal man had not been an overly joyous one and Stella figured she might harbor some resentment toward them because of it.

All these thoughts occurred to Stella within the span of only a few seconds, but she was running out of time. She had to make a choice -- save the men who had taken her life, but shown her pleasure like she had never known, or join the unholy princess on her path of destruction.

In the end, the decision came down to control. There was only one scenario in which Stella could see herself out of. Only one where her fate was still her own. So she slipped the collar around Lana's neck before the witch knew what was happening and stepped back toward the pirates.

"NO!" Lana shrieked, and clawed at the silver chain in desperation, recoiling in pain each time she tried to remove it.

Stella knew that the holy sisters' collar would only last for a few moments, and so did Heart. Rushing forward, he grabbed Lana's wrist and forced her hand open, battling against her surprising strength. With her fingers finally extended, the captain pulled off the black ring that bond him to Lana, as well as his own, and handed them to Marcus.

"Hurry!" Heart told to the mage, "We don't have much time."

"What are we going to do with her?" Devin asked, pointing at Lana, who was still struggling against the chain, but already getting closer to being able to grasp it, "As soon as she has her power back, Leviathan will destroy the Bleeding Heart and we will have gained nothing."

"I can send her away," Stella replied, and began the complex hand movements necessary for the spell she had in mind, "But I cannot be interrupted. This magic is complicated and I fear I will not be done before Lana overcomes the collar."

Devin narrowed his eyes and nodded once, "Then I will buy you enough time," he said and drew his sword from his side, holding it out as he advanced toward Lana.

Heart, in his haste out of his chambers, had not retrieved his sword and was therefore unarmed. But he positioned himself in front of Stella, ready to protect her, and in the deepest depth of her hopes, Stella wondered if perhaps the captain was beginning to view her as something more than just a pirate's wench.

"MORTALS!" Lana cried furiously as she finally managed to tear the silver chain from her neck, "I will destroy...!"

Devin growled and lunged forward with his sword, aiming for Lana's belly. The witch cried out in surprise, but easily avoided the blade with unnatural speed. Devin recovered quickly and attacked again, this time sweeping the blade low toward her legs.

"AH!" Heart called out and clutched his head while at the same time Devin landed a lucky blow across Lana's thighs, sending the witch to her knees.

"It's finished," Marcus said, coming over to Stella and Heart and dropping the now ordinary black rings to the deck of the ship, "You are no longer bound to her, Captain."

"I noticed," Heart growled, shaking his head, "That hurt."

"At least it distracted Lana long enough for Devin to get a shot in," Stella pointed out, "I only need a few more seconds..."

"ENOUGH!" Lana yelled and a bolt of blue energy sent Devin reeling across the deck, "YOU DIE NOW!"

Above the Bleeding Heart, Leviathan's tentacles stirred and reared backward, readying the strike that would kill them all.

"Move," Stella told Heart, pushing on his shoulder. The pirate obeyed and Stella walked toward Lana, her hand outstretched as she finished the motions required for her spell.

"Too late," Lana sneered.

"Not quite," Stella replied right before the world went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two brilliant flashes of white light blazed in the darkness on the deck of the Bleeding Heart. Leviathan, who had been ready to crush the evil ship beneath its mighty tentacles, roared in anger from where it waited beneath the waves as its blows met only with cold sea water rather than the much more satisfying bones of men. The ship had somehow vanished, taking Leviathan's mistress with it and leaving the beast alone once more in the furthest corner of the East Ocean.

Meanwhile, the entire pirate crew of the Bleeding Heart cried out in anger and fear as they were plunged into complete darkness for a few agonizing heartbeats. When light once more returned, those on the deck were shocked to find that they were no longer floating in the middle of the ocean, but docked in one of the free island trading ports that dotted the shipping lanes between the two great empires that the East Ocean separated. The port town was sleeping, and no one had noticed the giant and notorious Bleeding Heart slip silently into the dock where the Charon usually sat when making her trades.

"Where is she?" Captain Heart asked Stella, who was standing in the middle of the deck where seconds before Lana had been ready to kill them all. Cut off from the witch's power, Heart felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Staring at Stella as she turned back to face him, the captain also felt an unfamiliar sensation of guilt for what he had done to the witch who had just saved his ship and his life.

"Somewhere very far away from here," Stella replied, "But that does not mean she is no longer dangerous."

"Of course," Heart nodded, unable to meet Stella's eyes, "So what do we do now?"

Devin and Marcus had come to join them and stared as Stella watched Heart silently for a moment, contempt for the mad pirate evident in her gaze. "Now I go east," she finally replied, "As much as I want to stay here on this ship, I must warn my sisters of Lana's...awakening."

"Wait...," Heart said as Stella turned and began to walk away.

"Do not try to stop me, pirate," Stella snarled, looking back and raising her hand, "I should kill you right now after what you have done to me."

"No," Heart shook his head, "I wasn't trying to stop you. I want...," he cleared his throat, "I want to join you. This is my fault -- I have to set it right."

"Out of the question," Stella replied and turned around again.

Heart growled, "Then how do you plan on getting to the east continent? That spell you used must have drained you of most of your powers already. You'll have to go to the old fashioned way -- no teleport. And with no money and nothing to sell but your body..."

"I have enough power left to kill you," Stella said, but stopped walking and turned all the way around, "If you give me reason."

Heart smirked and crossed his arms across his bare chest, "Don't worry, witch. I repay those who aid me. Consider yourself a free passenger on the Bleeding Heart. I promise I won't do anything you don't want me to."

Stella blushed at his words and after a long moment's consideration, nodded her assent. "You have a lot to make up for, mad pirate," she said as she walked past him to the door that led below deck, "You can start by allowing me a good night's sleep. After the day I've had..."

"Of course," Heart nodded, "Shall I join you?"

"Do not press your luck," Stella growled before slipping below.

"Hmph," he grunted and turned on Devin, "I think we're safe for the night, my friend. You fought bravely tonight. Are you injured?"

"I figure I'll be a little sore in the morning, but nothing serious," Devin shrugged.

"Good," Heart nodded, "Because I have a feeling this journey will not be an easy one."

"That I don't doubt, Sir," Devin said with a smile, "But I least we have a lovely wench to share it with."

"Aye," Heart grinned, "That we do. That. We. Do."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*End of this first chunk. If enough readers like this, I'll go ahead and start on the next part, which will take place back on the Bleeding Heart a few days after Stella's freedom.

Comment. Vote. Thank you : ) *